An Orillia woman has peddled her way to a historic win for Canada. Isabella Holmgren, the 21-year-old cyclist, earned Team Canada’s first medal at a major cycling race in Montreal on Thursday. Holmgren came in second place, capturing silver in the 2026 UCI Road World Championships for the Women’s U23 World Championship road race. The 134-kilometre race required 2,690 metres of climbing, which came down to Holmgren and Slovakia’s Viktória Chladoňová neck and neck at the finish line. Cycling Canada says Holmgren pushed ahead especially on the Camillien Houde climb, a famous 1.6-kilomtrec hill on Mount Royal. Finishing with a time of 3:49:10, she was just behind Chladoňová. Holmgren’s sister, Ava—also 21 years old—came in 15th in the same race. This was the first time a road world championships took place on Canadian soil since it was in Hamilton in 2003. Holmgren recently competed in the Tour de France, placing eighth on the GC and third in the Youth Classification. She also competed in cross-country mountain biking at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
